Neocons infesting Washington want Assad ousted, putting them at loggerheads with Russia’s support for Syrian sovereign independence, territorial integrity and right of its people alone to choose who’ll lead them, free from outside interference in accordance with international law America consistently breaches.

On Tuesday, deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Obama administration is considering “a range of (military and other) options.”

“We always…consider unilateral options when looking at a situation like Syria” - including direct US military action against Damascus and government forces, dramatically increasing the likelihood of US/Russia confrontation.

John Kerry and other US hawks favor it, shamelessly condemning Putin and Assad for Obama’s high crimes, complicit with rogue partners.

According to the Washington Post, a Wednesday meeting of “top national security officials” will consider US military action on Damascus and Syrian forces - a reckless act if ordered, upping the stakes hugely, on the phony pretext of “pressur(ing) (Assad) to come back to the negotiating table in a serious way.”

He and Russia are falsely blamed for US-supported terrorists’ ceasefire violations - 300 times in seven days following implementation of Geneva terms.

US tactics considered include “bombing Syrian air force runways using cruise missiles and other long-range weapons fired from coalition planes and ships…covertly without public acknowledgment” because of lack of Security Council authorization. Attacking Syria risks direct confrontation with Russia, a potential nuclear war scenario.

On Tuesday, Moscow announced it positioned a battery of sophisticated S-300 air defense missiles at its Tartus naval base in Syria, Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov saying they’re in place “to ensure the safety of the naval base” and Russian ships near Syria’s coast.

It’s most advanced S-400s are installed at Russia’s Khmeimin base in Syria to protect its aircraft and ground personnel involved in combating US-supported terrorists.

“This is road to nowhere, as a forcible change of power, including through support of the opposition from outside, will only replay the scenario we’ve seen in Iraq and Libya, and will lead to disintegration and destabilization.” It risks direct US Russia confrontation.

Assad blasted America’s hegemonic agenda, saying it seeks dominance “over other states (in its quest for) unilateral control over the world…”

It’s “waging wars (of aggression) with the goal (of) cement(ing) total control by launching attacks on everyone…oppos(ing) its” hegemonic agenda.

During the post-Cold War period, America succeeded only in “creating problems and destroying states, no more than that.” It’s using terrorists in waging war on Syria.

On Tuesday, US-supported death squads struck Russia’s Damascus embassy compound with mortar shells, no injuries reported. Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said shelling came from areas these elements control. More may follow threatening its embassy and personnel.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, “(i)n the past two-and-a-half years, attempts to recruit our personnel have become visibly more frequent, and American security services descend to most unpleasant methods of pressure, up to threats to the heath of family members.”

“The normal functioning of our diplomatic missions is prevented through artificial difficulties to official contacts, and other far-fetched restrictions.”

These and similar tactics are systematically undermining bilateral relations. Given incendiary conditions in Syria, war between the world’s dominant nuclear powers grows increasingly likely - a potential doomsday scenario if launched.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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